Furnace-door opener.



No. 866,611. PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907. F. J. BELL.

PURNACE DOOR OPENER. APPLIGATIQN FILED JULY 1e, 19o?.

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No. 866.611. PATBNTED SEPT. 17, 1907.

P. J. BELL.

PURNAGE DOOR OPENER.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

FLOYD JAMES BELL, OF FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM ORD PHIPPS, OF FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE-DOOR OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent5 Patented Sept. 1'7, 1907.

Application led July 16, 1907. Serial No. 384,103.

drawing.

This invention relates to an improvement in furnace door openers, and has for its object the provision of means for facilitating the opening of a furnace door.

Another object of the invention is the provision of peculiarly-constructed means, whereby the operator can press upon a foot-plate, and thereby open a door, and as soon as the pressure is removed from the footplate, the door will be automatically closed.

The opening or closing of a furnace door, or, in fact, any kind of a door, by means of the hand coming in direct contact with the same, is often undesirable and, therefore, to obviate the necessity of employing the hand to open a door, I have provided a device which can be easily actuated by pressing on a spring-pressed member, whereby the operation of said device will be Controlled.

With the foregoing objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel constructions, combinations,

and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully i described and claimed.

In the drawings'. Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, in front elevation, of a mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan Fig. 3, and looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig.

5 is a vertical, sectional view taken on line 5, 5, Fig. 3,

looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the foot-plate catch.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates a suitable support or floor, and 2 a furnace.

The furnace 2 is provided with a fire-box 3 and the fire-box is closed by means of doors 4, 4. Each door 4 is provided preferably, with a pair of horizontal leaves 5, which leaves are secured to the doors, by any suitable fastening means.

One of the doors 4 is provided with a vertical fiange or portion 6, which overlaps the meeting edge of the lother door.

Shafts 7 are journaled near their lower ends in boxes 7/, and near their upper ends in boxes 7. 5 are fixedly secured to the shafts 7, at 8.

The leaves Collars 9 are carried by the shafts 7, and normally rest upon the top of boxes 7.

These collars 9 are secured to the shafts by any suitable fastening means, so that downward movement of said shafts will be prevented. Furthermore, each shaft 7 is provided at its lower end with a horizontal, beveled gear 10, and, therefore, it is undesirable to have the full load of the shafts 7 resting upon gears 10, which gears 10 mesh with vertical,

beveled gears l1. The gears 11 are fixedly secured to a horizontal drive-shaft 12.

The drive or primary shaft 12 is journaled in sectional box or brackets 13, secured to the under face of the floor or support l. The shaft 12 is provided, preferably, near its center with a cog or gear wheel 1 4. Meshing with the gear 14 is a semi-circular gear 15 the gear 15 is provided with parallel lugs 16, constituting a bifurcated portion, in which fits a beam 17. Beam 17 is secured to lugs 1 6, by any suitable fastening means, as for instance, bolts 18. The substantially horizontal beam 17 is pivotally mounted upon bolt 19, carried by a pair of depending, parallel brackets 20. Each bracket 20 is provided at its upper end with a horizontal plate, which is secured by any suitable means, to the floor 1. A vertically-movable plunger-rod or bar 21 is slidably mounted inthe floor, and is pivotally connected at its lower end 22, to the outer end of the bar or beam 17. The upper end of the plunger 21 is provided with a foot-plate 23. The foot-plate 23 is provided, upon its upper face, with a corrugated or roughened surface, for preventing the foot or the boot or shoe of the operator from slipping off of the same. A vertical guide 24 is secured, at its upper end, to the foot-plate 23, and its lower end is provided with nuts 25. Interposed between the floor 1 and foot-plate 23, upon, preferably, the guide 24, is a yieldable member, as for instance, coil spring 26. This spring 2G normally exerts an upward pressure upon the foot-plate whereby the doors are held closed. When downward pressure is exerted upon foot-plate 23, the spring 26 will be com pressed, and through the `medium of the gearing, the doors will be opened. However, as soon as pressure is removed from the foot-plate 23, the spring will force the plunger 22 upward, and, consequently, close the furnace doors 4.

When it is desired to hold the doors open, it is only necessary for the operator to'press downward upon the foot-plate 23, and then swing the hook or eye 27 of the latch 2S, over the curved extension 29, constituting a hook, carried by the outer end of foot-plate 23. The loop or eye 27 is carried by the vertical rod or portion 30, which portion 30 is preferably, integral with the horizontal portion 31. The catch 28 is pivotally secured to the floor l, contiguous to the plunger 21, by means of, preferably,staples 32, positioned over the horizontal portion 31. By means of this peculiarlyconstructed catch, the doors may be held open as long as desired, but immediately upon detaching the loop 27 [rom the hook or extension 29, the spring will close the doorsas hereinbefore specified.

Hangers 33 extend through the floor 1. Each hanger is provided, at its upper end, with a head 34, while upon its lower end is threaded a nut 35. Detachably secured upon the hangers 33, and, preferably, supported upon nuts 35, is a transverse plate 3G. By means of plate 36 and the hangers 33, if the brackets 20 and bolts 19 should be broken, or should break, the beam 17 will fall into engagement with the plate 36, and,4

consequently, be prevented from dropping entirely away from the mechanism. These hangers 33 are positioned parallel with and contiguous to the hangers or brackets 26, so that in case the emergency support, constituted by hangers 33 and bar 36, is needed, the fall of the gear 15 and the beam 17 will not result in damage thereto. It is to be noted that in the brackets or hangers 20 and bolt 19, I have provided a primary support for the beam 17, while in the case of an emergency or accident, I have also provided an auxiliary support, constituted by the hangers 33 and horizontal bar 16. The horizontal bar 16 is, preferably, provided near its ends with apertures, through which extend the hangers or bolts 33, as clearly seen in Figs. 3 and 4.

In operating a mechanism in accordance with the present invention, the operator or fireman places his foot upon the plate 23 and presses down thereon, whereby beam or rod 17 will be swung upon its pivot, constituted by bolt 19, and, thereby actuating the toothed segment 15, and rotating gear or cog-wheel 14, whereby rotary movement will be imparted to shaft 12, the beveled gears and vertical shafts 17 causing the doors to be swung open. Immediately upon releasing plate 23, the spring will force the plate upward, and, consequently, the toothed segment 15 will move downward, rotating the shafts and closing the door. By reason of my structure, the operator can be a suflicient distance away from the furnace, when the doors are open, for preventing any injury resulting therefrom, which is not the case in an ordinary structure, in which the reman has to grasp a suitable grip secured directly to the door, or where the door is opened by any ordinary poker or rod.

What I claim is:

1.'In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support, a furnace carried by said support, of a pair of doors engaging said furnace, vertical shafts journaled upon said support and having their lower ends exnding therethrough, doors supported entirely upon said shafts and normally engaging said furnace, bearings depending from said support, a horizontal shaft journaled upon said bearings below said support, beveled gears iixedly secured to said horizontal shaft, beveled gears fxedly secured to the vertical shafts below said support and meshing with said first-mentioned gears, a cog-wheel Iixcdly secured to said hrizontal shaft between its beveled gears, a spring-pressed plunger carried by said support, a pivoted beam carried by said support and pivotally connected to said plunger, and a gear xedly secured to said beam and meshing with said cog-wheel, whereby when said plunger is moved downwai'd upon the support, said doors will be moved from in engagement with said furnace.

2. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support, of vertical shafts journaled upon said support, doors supported entirely by said shafts, gear wheels secured to said shafts below said support, depending bcarings carried by said support between said gear wheels, a horizontal shaft journaled in said bearings and having its ends extending beyond the same, gear wheels Iixcdly secured to the extended ends of said horizontal shaft and meshingI with the gear wheels of the vertical shafts, a cog-wheel lixedly secured to said horizontal shaft between said bearings, and spring-pressed manuallyoperated means coperating with said cog-wheel for rotating the same, and, thereby actuating said doors.

In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support, of bearings carried by said support, a horizontalv shaft journaled in said bearings, a beveled gear secured to said shaft, a vertical shaft carried by said support, a beveled gear secured to said vertical shaft and meshing with the first-mentioned beveled gear, a door carried by said vertical shaft, a cog-wheel secured to said horizontal shaft, brackets secured to said support, a beam pivotally mounted upon said bracket, a toothed segment iixedly secured to said beam and meshing with said cogwheel, and a spring-pressed plunger provided with a footplate, slidably mounted upon said support and pivotally connected at its lower end to said beam.

4. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support, of a horizontal shaft carried by said support, a cog or gear-wheel fixedly secured to said shaft, a door, means connecting said door to said horizontal shaft, whereby when rotary movement is imparted to said shaft, said door will be swung, a primary hanger carried by said support, a beam or rod pivotally mounted upon said hanger, a toothed segment provided with parallel lugs constituting a bifurcated portion, said beam extending between said parallel lugs, means securing said lugs to said beam, said toothed segment meshing with said cog-wheel, a plunger connected to said beam, an auxiliary hanger carried by said support positioned contiguous to said primary hanger, and a horizontal bar positioned under said beam and supported upon said auxiliary hanger.

5. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support and a door, of a primary and an auxiliary hanger carried by said support, door-actuating means pivotally mounted upon said primary hanger and coperating with said door for moving the same, and means carried by said auxiliary hanger for supporting said dooractuating means when the same is not supported by said primary hanger.

6. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support and a door, of primary and auxiliary hangers carried by said support, said primary hanger comprising a pair of brackets, door-actuating means pivotally mounted upon said brackets and coperating with said door, said auxiliary hanger comprising a plurality of bolts and a transverse plate or bar connecting said bolts, and the bar positioned beneath the door-actuating means and below its pivot point.

7. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support and a door, of a primary and an auxiliary hanger carried by said support, door-actuating means pivotally mounted upon said primary hanger and coperating with said door, said auxiliary hanger comprising bolts extending entirely through said support, and a detachable bar carried by said bolts below said door-actuating means, and a spring-pressed manually-operated plunger carried by said support and connected to said door-actuating means.

8. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support and a door, of manually-operated door-actuating means carried by said support and coperating with said door, said door-actuating means provided with an extension, a catch engaging said support and adapted to engage said extension for retaining said dooractuating means in an adjusted position, said catch comprising a vertical body portion provided with a loop, said body portion provided with a horizontal portion, and means engaging the horizontal portion upon opposite sides of said vertical body portion for pivotally connecting the same to said floor.

9. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support and a door, of door-actuating means coperating with said door, said door-actuating means provided with a vertically-movable plunger, said plunger provided with a foot-plate at its upper end, a guide seroo cured at its upper end to said footplate and having its lower end left free, the guide extending through said support, and a yieldable member interposed between said support and foot-plate and positioned upon said guide.

l0. In a` mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support and a pair of doors, of door-actuating means for synchronously swinging the doors upon said support, said door-actuating means comprising a horizontal shaft, a cog-wheel lixedly secured to said shaft, means connecting said shaft to said doors, primary and auxiliary hangers carried by said support, a pivoted meinber carried by said primary hanger, a semi-circular gear xedly secured to one end of said pivoted member and meshing with said cog-\vheel, the auxiliary hanger having a portion extending under said pivoted member, a vertically movable plunger carried by said support and pivotaliy connected to said plunger, and a spring interposed between said support and connecting means, whereby when said plunger is manually operated for moving the same downward, said spring will automatically move said plunger upward when pressure is removed therefrom.

11. ln a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a support and a pair of doors, of a horizontal shaft carried by said support and provided near its center with a cogvwheel, means connecting the doors to said horizontal shaft near its ends, means provided with a plunger and a parallel guide, movably mounted upon said support and cooperating with said cogwheel for rotating the same and thereby actuating said doors, means connecting the upper ends of said plunger and guide, and a spring carried by said guide and interposed between said connecting means and said support.

In testimony whereof I hereunto alhx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FLOYD JAMES BELL. Witnesses A. l. BELL, W. O. PirIPPs. 

